When it comes to cult films about the gambling world and Las Vegas, Martin Scorsese’s Casino movie is in the league of its own. This realistic crime story captivated audiences thanks to its perfect cast, memorable acting and brutal violent scenes depicting the harsh realities of mafia’s everyday life. The director approached the filming extremely meticulously and wanted to make the movie as authentic as possible.

In this article, we will tell you a few behind-the-scenes facts about this piece that can significantly affect your perception of it.

Each of the main characters in the film has a real prototype, and the lion’s share of the scenes is based on these people’s personal story. For example, the disturbing and seemingly incredible scene with Rothstein’s car explosion actually copies the real situation. Frank Rosenthal, who was the inspiration for “Ace’s” character, also survived after mercenaries blew up his vehicle.

Another movie’s realistic aspect is that the main characters’ prototypes also had somewhat of a love triangle. Many sources claim that Frank “Lefty’s” wife had a relationship with his companion, Spilotro. Of course, this is not a complete list of all the film’s real-life based scenes but you probably have grasped the main point already – this piece seems so realistic because most of the events shown actually happened.

Real Professionals as Extras

Martin Scorsese filled this movie with tons of great casino scenes, and he relied on real pit bosses, dealers and other croupiers most of the time. This approach allowed him to achieve greater authenticity and avoid the time spent looking for casino extras that would be able to handle cards, chips and other things.

In addition, the director reached out to real police officers and FBI agents to showcase the scenes with these departments in as much detail as possible. This level of preparation shows how passionate Scorsese was about this piece, and the movie’s various awards made up for this effort.

Lots of Improvisational Moments

When you bring together talented actors like Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro under one roof, you should unquestionably involve them in creating more believable characters. The director understood this and allowed these acting masters to experiment with their lines and dialogues. As a result, Scorsese incorporated a ton of improvisational elements into the piece, and this move made the film even more convincing.